Sealing-cap.



H. E. TOWNSEND.

SEALING CAP.

APPLICAHON FILED ocr. I0. 1915 Patented Oct. 9, 1917.

r mvmroe I? 2 M AZTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WY E. TOWNSEND, OI BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 ANCHOR GAP & CLOSURECORPORATION, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK. A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SEALING-CAI.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 9, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Knew E. Townsnun, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings, State ofNew York, have 'invented certain new and useful Improvements inSealingCaps, of which the following is a ecification.

This invention relates to packages and more particularly to a packagecomprising a glass container to which a suitable metallic cap may behermetically sealed.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved side sealingdevice to efi'ect a union between the closure and the container; anotherobject is to utilize atmospheric pressure to retain or to seal the capin position when the ackage is sealed in a vacuum; and a still urtherobject is to secure a combined mechanical and ressure seal.

Other and further objects will in part be obvious, and will in part bepointed out hereinafter by reference to the accompanyingdrawin whereinlike parts are represented by ike characters throughout the severalv1ews thereof.

Referring now to the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevatlon, partly insection, of my improved package Fig. 2 is a sectional detail showing t eposition of the closure before sealing. Fig. 3 is a similar detailshowing the position of the parts after seal- Tn the packing ofproducts, especially food products in lass and under a vacuum, variousmetho s of sealing the closure to the glass container have been used.One method eretofore in use, known as the top seal employs a metallicclosure having a sealing a ct of suitable material located between eclosure and the top of the container wall, whereby when the cap isplaced in position and the air is exhausted from the container,atmospheric ressure will tend to rose the cap downwar upon thecontainer, ereby compressing the gasket and maintaining a more or lessefi'ective seal so long as there is a substantial difference of pressureinside and outside of the package. For certain uses this seal isunsatisfactory because the loss of the vacuum within the ackage for angreason may reduce the ho ding power of t e closure so that roughhandling as in shipping may cause the cap to fall 0 thus exposing thecontents of the package. Another difliculty encountered in the use ofsuch caps is that in the manufacture of the glass containers, the mostimperfect part of the lass is the to edge, which is often filled withsand crac and rough broken edges which prevent the formation of anairtight seal such as is necessary not only to protect the. contents ofthe ackage, but also to maintain the cap upon the container.

These defects are not present in a second method heretofore in use inwhich a side seal is em loyed. In this instance the cap is provide witha beading that surrounds the upper part of the container wallandincloses the gasket which is mechanically forced against the side wallof the container to effect the seal. The glass at this point isgenerally free from flaws, and as the seal is mechanically formed theclosure will continue to grip the conta ner, even should the packagelose its vacuum. On the other and, however, this form of cap is morecostly than the type first described, and it requires more complicatedand expensive machinery to perform the capping operation.

In the packing of food products especially, it is not only of vital imortance to protect the contents of the pac age effectively; but it isalso of vital importance to reduce the cost of the package to the lowestpossible amount.

By my invention, 1 am able to retain all the advantages of the sidesealin closure and at the same time provide a ac age that is no moreexpensive to manu acture than the top seal style, and one that may alsoutilize atmospheric pressure to help maintain the seal.

As shown i struct the we concave beadin 1 of the container with a 2located near the upper part of the wal This heading 2 is locatedsufliciently below the top 4 o the wall, to prevent its beingsubstantially affected by sand cracks or rough edges. Below the beadin 2a shoulder 5 is formed which joins t e heading to the glass wall of thecontainer as at 6. Between the beading 2 and the shoulder 5, I sreferablform the glass into a convex bea in 7, t e diameter of which is somewhatless t an the diameter of the shoulder 5. A section through the thedrawings, I may con-' sealing surface com rises an o e curve extendingsubstantial y verticaly from the main side wall.

The closure in its preferred form has a fiat top 8, a depending flange9, with the flange terminatin in a beading roll 10. The dependin ange 9is preferably a straight walle cylinder, the interior diameter of whichis substantially that of the exterior diameter of the main side walladjacent the shoulder 5, so that when the fiange 9 engages the sidewall, as at 6, a relatively tight joint is formed to prevent undueleakage of the gasket material from beneath the flange. The materialcomprising the gasket 11, as shown in F1g. 2 1s preferably formed rectanular in section and is inserted in the cap a utting the inner sideof-the flange 9. Its thickness as shown in the figure is preferably eual'to the difference between the radius 0 the beading 2 and the radiusof the side wall 6 where it joins the shoulder 5. The flange 9 ofthe capon closure forms a rather close fit over the shoulder 5.

In applying the cap, it is first put upon the container as shown in Fig.2, with theupon the shoulder 5. A pressure is then applied which forcesthe asket material into the form shown in 1g. 3. This downward movementcreates more or less lateral pres sure upon the asket material so that amechanical seal is effected which has considerable holding and sealingpower whether gasket 11 restin irect downwar there is a vacuum withinthe package or not.

shoulder with the exterior wall, a

When the container is-exhausted of air before the cap is presseddownward, the atmospheric ressure upon the cap which also acts in aownward direction will tend to slight] cup the cap and draw the gasketmore rmly against the heading thus hel ing to maintain the seal. This isan ad tional advantage secured over the side seal cap now in use, as inthe latter style of cap, the atmospheric pressure does not assist inholding the cap in place; while with my ca I not only secure all theadvantages of side sealing and. mechanical sealing; at I also utilizethe atmospheric pressure to render the seal still more permanent in allcases where the container is sealed under vacuum.

Realizing that it is possible to slightly vary the specific constructionherein disclosed, I desire that this specific disclosure be consideredas illustrative rather than in the limitin sense.

Having t us described my invention what I- claim 1s:-

1. In combination, a container havin a rounded bead adjacent the mouththereo a groove beneath said bead and forming a sea i cap having a skirtthe interior diameter 0 which is substantiallv coincident with thediameter of the exterior wall of the container and ater than thediameter of the bead and with the ed e of said skirt in close on gementwith said wall, and a gasket un er compression and filling the spacebetween said skirt and said groove.

2. In combination a container having a sealing surface substantiallyrepresenting an ogee curve in cross-section and extending to the outermain side wall, a cap provided with a substantially cylindrical skirtwith an interior diameter substantially the same as the exteriordiameter of the main side wall where said side wall joins the sealingsurface whereby the skirt of the cap is enabled to closely engage themain side wall of the -container, and a gasket substantially fillin thes ace between the sealing surface and t e sai skirt.

3. In combination a substantially cylindrical container provided on itsupper end with a bead and a recess, said bead being of less diameterthan the exterior diameter of the main side wall of said container, acap provided with a skirt having an interior diameter substantially thesame as the exterior of the main side wall where said wall joins saidbead, and a gasket under compression'ada ted to fill the space betweensaid skirt an said sealing surface.

4. In combination a container provided with a sealing surface upon theupper side wall thereof, said sealing surface including a projectingmember and a depression beneath and adjacent said projecting member, acap provided with a substantially cylindrical skirt adapted to extendover said projection and depression and to closely engage the side wallof said container, and a gasket fillin the space between the sealingsurface and t e said skirt.

5. As an article of manufacture, a package comprising a containerprovided with a. sealing surface which is upwardly and inwardl inclinedand of substantially S- sha e cross-section, a substantial] flat sea gcap provided with a cylindrica skirt adapted to extend over said sealingsurface and a gasket filling the s ace between said sealing surface andsaid 3 irt, the construction and arrangement of parts being such thatwhere a vacuum is maintained within the sealed package the cap is drawninwardly and downwardly to more securely gompress the gasket against thesealing surace.

6. The method of sealing a container which comprises; providing acontainer with a bead and groove sealing surface, the groove forming ashoulder with the side wall of said containerproviding a substantlal lyflat sealing cap havin a substantially cyhndrical skirt; and furt erprovidin a relatively plastic gasket in the form 0 a.

section of a tube and adjacent said skirt;

then forcing said skirt over said shoulder and flowin the gasket intothe groove and under the eading.

7. The method of sealing a package which includes providing a containerhavin a sealin surface eomprisin a groove a jacent t e mouth thereof anaside wall adJacent said groove, said wall comprising the maximumdiameter of the said container;

then providing a cap having a skirt of 10 into the space between saidskirt and the 15 sealing surface.

HARR E. TOWNSEND.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for are cents each, by addreulngthe "commhdoner o1- intents, Washington, D. 0."

